Notable archaeologists
Patrick Kirch and Terry Hunt identified pottery on the south coast of Ofu Island dated to about 1850 BCE, the earliest recorded in the Samoan Islands and earlier than comparable finds in
Tonga and
Fiji.
First Western contact On June 13, 1722, Commodore
Jacob Roggeveen of the
Dutch West India Company, commanding the
Thienhoven and
Arend, approached the twin islands of Olosega and Ofu. Fishermen from Olosega quickly alerted the High Chief of Ofu, who was prepared when the ships entered the bay along the islands’ southern shore. As the traditional guardian of the
Manuʻa Islands, it was his duty to challenge visitors before allowing them to land. According to custom, a representative of the newcomers was expected to fight a war-club duel with his champion to determine their right of entry. The genuineness of combat varied depending on the visitors’ known reputation, but the ritual could not be ignored. The High Chief assembled his warriors on the beach at Ofu and launched his war canoe, bringing with him the village virgin dressed in her ceremonial fine-mat skirt and blue necklace. When he drew within hailing distance of Roggeveen’s small boat, he gestured for the strangers to come ashore. Sensing their hesitation at the sight of armed men, he dispersed the warriors with a signal, which seemed to reassure the visitors. They rowed closer, but it is unlikely they actually landed—the reef passage was treacherous, night was approaching, and the reception remained uncertain. The meeting therefore likely took place in the bay. The High Chief admired the girl’s necklace and indicated his desire for another. The Dutchmen responded by gesture that they had none to give. After a short but cordial exchange, the boat returned to the ships, and the squadron soon set sail westward. Whether Roggeveen was truly the first European to visit Samoa has been debated. The people of
Taʻū already seemed familiar with iron nails, and one of the girls wore a blue necklace, which could only have been made of
glass beads — since no blue coral exists in Samoa. These items may have reached the islands through
Fiji or
Tonga, both of which had prior European contact and traded frequently with Samoa. The first European known to set foot in Samoa was
Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, commander of the French ships
Boussole and
L’Astrolabe. In 1787 he sailed past the northern coast of
Taʻū, traded with the people of Olosega, and three days later approached
Tutuila from the north. == Ofu ==